While covid lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis spurred a frozen food renaissance, the UK is still failing to unlock the category’s full potential, writes David Milner
Unlike the mega hit Disney movie, Frozen, the second highest grossing animated film ever, our relationship with the frozen aisle in the supermarket remains a tricky one.
We stand alone in European grocery retailing having not yet fully embraced the outstanding benefits of frozen food. It is still the Cinderella of grocery shopping. As supermarket offerings have become increasingly sophisticated so has our seduction by chilled foods increased. We are all but programmed to believe that chilled produce is a higher quality, better-for-you choice. Yet go to any continental country and there is a limited culture of chilled: frozen pre-prepared meals dominate the sector with rows and rows of freezers showcasing tempting ranges from fruit and vegetables to the finest cuts of meat.
One of France’s premium supermarket chains, Picard, only sells frozen. It is a far cry from our own Iceland! And this is in a country where GDP on food groceries is 14 percent higher than the UK.
What is it that prevents the UK consumer from recognising the benefits of frozen as an integral part of their weekly shop? Well, let’s begin with looking at the issues.
Frozen has been burdened with the reputation of being inferior quality to chilled. Traditionally manufacturers have sold lower quality food with equally low-price points in their frozen ranges, meaning shoppers have given a wide berth to freezer cabinets if their purses permitted. It is only in the last couple of years that brands such as Crosta & Mollica, Itsu and Little Moons have penetrated the space and started to prove that premium has a valuable role to play in the frozen aisle.
Additionally, there is the physical barrier to consider. It is harder to shop the frozen aisle. It involves leaning in, reaching up and sometimes even opening a door to make purchasing decisions through frosted panes. And it’s cold!
So where does the blame lie? It is a complicated conundrum of the chicken and egg variety. Manufacturers are not going to produce premium products to go in freezer cabinets if the destination is not appealing to the consumer. How does the retailer encourage better penetration, if there is nothing to offer the consumer which will persuade them to shop the aisle?
I think we need to go further back along the chain. How many people know that frozen fish is frequently of superior quality than ‘fresh’ fish that sits on the fishmonger’s slab? Caught at sea and immediately frozen, unlike ‘fresh’ fish which could be up to 10 days old before it hits the dinner plate.
Or consider the nonsense around smoked salmon. While smoking itself is a form of preserving the fish, at Christmas when demand peaks, much of it is frozen and then defrosted before being sold as chilled in-store with a limited shelf life. Instead, we should be selling it frozen and giving consumers the choice of how much to use and how much to save for another meal. Added to which there is a price premium in the retail proposition because of the extra cost in the process.
Or frozen peas, harvested and frozen in a matter of hours to seal in goodness. There is no finer pea choice. But has this been communicated to new consumers as well as it once was. By the way, the Birds Eye iconic TV ad featuring Patsy Kensit as a child saying the famous slogan “fresh as the moment when the pod went pop” was the first TV ad to appear in colour 45 years ago!
And where is the message about sustainability? Frozen food undoubtedly leads to lower food waste. At home, you can simply take from the pack what you need and return to the freezer until the next time. Try doing that with fresh prawns in the fridge. Potentially even more significant than the advantage to the consumer is the eye-watering reduction of in-store food waste. Fresh food waste is nearly six times greater than frozen.
My final argument: less need for preservatives. Freezing is a naturally perfect means of locking in goodness. Why is the industry not pushing hard the message that frozen food is the polar opposite (literally) of ultra-processed.
The early part of my career was spent at Young’s Seafood and since then there has been some progress, notably the pioneering niche carved by Cook with its premium ready meals. For manufacturers there is more to go after with quality food offerings if coupled with better communication with shoppers helping them understand and appreciate the value of frozen food.
Take ourselves at Crosta & Mollica: we are powering ahead with premium retail products in the freezer aisle, recognising that frozen is sustainable, offers ultimate portion control, and provides unmatched convenience
I’m excited by the opportunity in frozen for my brand, which has achieved 54 percent growth in value and 51 percent growth in volume YoY, largely as a result of our penetration in UK supermarkets but also, importantly, our increasing presence in international markets.
We pride ourselves on our range of delicious and authentic sourdough pizzas made in the heart of Italy between Venice and the Dolomites using fresh mountain water to ignite the natural Italian yeast and baked on lava-stones sourced from Mount Etna in our wood-fired ovens. Already, approximately half our pizza business in the UK is in frozen but we see that share growing as frozen becomes a much bigger attraction in the next couple of years. Perhaps, more tellingly, 100 percent of our pizzas sold in Europe are frozen.
Currently, the average space occupied by frozen in supermarkets is circa 10 percent compared to 40 percent in the chilled section. That’s still 25 percent of new opportunity.
Interestingly, research shows that cross shopping between the chilled aisle and the frozen sector is only 10 percent. This means that our frozen product offering is unlikely to affect our fast-growing sales in chilled.
Even more compelling is that the latest Kantar data shows frozen foods sales are out-performing chilled, delivering 15 percent value growth and a 0.4 percent volume growth YoY.
The pressing challenge is to start ‘selling’ the frozen message. This is a job for everyone with a vested interest including manufacturers, retailers and the associations representing the sector. It is essential the subject becomes a talking point through the media, on social channels and via the network of influencers who actually do what it says on their tin!
And, I would also add, more attention to packaging so that it copes with frozen conditions and has maximum shelf-appeal. As well as carrying the messages unique to shopping frozen foods.
The fact is, it shouldn’t take much to turn this liner around and make frozen a choice for everyone. The rewards can be substantial if consumers can be convinced that frozen food choices tick many boxes: healthier options, less food waste, convenience, interesting product offerings.
I predict the frozen food sector will become the ultimate Snow Queen, metaphorically thawing out to be a thriving new grocery landscape attracting consumers with premium products and exciting new offerings.
David Milner is the Executive Chairman at Crosta & Mollica
